Funeral home in Isani and Samgori - funeral services 24/7 from the airport to the Kakheti highway

Next to the airport: when a loved one is flown home

A repatriated coffin is delivered to the airport's cargo terminal on the eastern edge of Tbilisi. For a family in Isani, Samgori, Orkhevi or Lilo this means the home or the hall is fifteen to twenty minutes from the terminal, with no need to drive through the city centre.

• Meeting at the terminal: our hearse and a member of staff are at the terminal an hour before the flight lands, collect the customs and sanitary documents and take the coffin straight to the place of farewell.
• Night flights: cargo flights quite often touch down between midnight and early morning. The family does not need to wait at the airport: we let you know when the coffin is on its way and give you the exact arrival time in advance.
• To the hall first: if there has not been time to get the home ready, the coffin is first placed in our district hall, and the family comes in the morning.
• Opening the zinc coffin: where a sanitary permit allows it and the family wishes, our specialist opens it, so that the last farewell can take place with the coffin open.

Along the Kakheti road: a funeral in the home village

Many residents of Isani and Samgori have their roots in Kakheti, the wine region east of Tbilisi, and quite a few families choose the village graveyard, beside their ancestors. From the eastern districts you are on the Kakheti highway within minutes, bypassing the centre, and compared with other parts of the city the procession saves up to an hour.

The rate is one and a half lari per kilometre, from Tbilisi and back. For a burial in Kakheti families often choose two stages: one night in the city, where Tbilisi friends and colleagues say goodbye, and a second in the village house, where the whole village gathers. The gravediggers and the wake in the village are often taken on by the local community, while we handle the transport, the coffin, refrigeration and the documents.

From the airport straight to the village

Families on the east side of the city often need one particular scenario: their loved one was working abroad, frequently in Greece, Italy or Turkey, and the family's wish is a burial in the home village in Kakheti. Because the airport and the Kakheti highway are on the same side of town, the coffin can leave the cargo terminal and go directly to the village, without entering Tbilisi and without a separate farewell here. The family saves a day and money: no city hall and no refrigerated coffin are needed, and our crew prepares everything at the village house the same day. In this case the meeting at the terminal and the drive to the village count as a single route.

The winter road to Telavi

In winter the Gombori Pass is often covered in snow and ice, so for Telavi and the surrounding villages we frequently take the procession via Sagarejo and Gurjaani instead. It adds twenty to thirty minutes, but it is far safer, and the driver agrees the route with the family the evening before.

Choosing a cemetery in eastern Tbilisi

If the family decides on a burial in Tbilisi, there are two paths. Mukhatgverdi, the likeliest place to obtain a new plot, lies on the far side of Tbilisi: forty-five to sixty minutes from Isani, depending on traffic. So we plan the procession for the middle of the day, when the roads are at their quietest. The second path is the municipal cemeteries in the eastern part of the city: they are closer, but some of them have few new plots. The coordinator looks into both options within hours of your call and sets the price, distance and conditions out side by side for the family.

If Mukhatgverdi is the choice, the mourners' journey is worth thinking through in advance. Crossing the city in dozens of private cars, the convoy breaks up and some guests reach the cemetery late. That is why for the eastern districts we always recommend a bus that collects people at the hall or in the courtyard and brings them back again. A fifty-seat bus on this route costs about 220 GEL, cheaper than twenty taxis.

When making the decision, think not only about the day of the funeral but about the years to come: older family members will visit a nearby cemetery often, whereas a distant one will mean a car and someone to accompany them every time.

Neighbourhoods: from Old Isani to Orkhevi

Old Isani

On the old streets near the river stand low houses with shared courtyards and narrow dead-end lanes that a hearse often cannot enter. The crew leaves the vehicle on the main street and four people carry the coffin to the courtyard. In these courtyards neighbours have known each other for decades, and the farewell often involves the whole yard. If the flat is small, with the neighbours' agreement we set up the refrigerated coffin in the courtyard under an awning, sparing guests the climb up a cramped staircase.

The Samgori estate

Soviet buildings of nine to sixteen storeys with standard lifts and wide courtyards. A marquee in the courtyard and neighbours lending a hand are perfectly normal here, and from the upper floors the deceased is brought down on a special stretcher.

Orkhevi, Lilo and the settlements near the airport

Mostly private houses with large yards, where the farewell and the wake traditionally take place outdoors. Some streets are unpaved and turn to mud after rain, so depending on the weather the hearse waits on the nearest firm road. Where power cuts are common, we install a self-powered refrigerated coffin.

Different traditions in one district

Eastern Tbilisi is home to Orthodox families, members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Muslims and people of other faiths, and each has its own funeral rite. Our coordinators know the differences:

• Orthodox rite: a farewell of two to three days, a panikhida (memorial service), the funeral service in church, and a wake with prayers for the departed.
• Armenian Apostolic rite: a similar sequence, with a priest from the Armenian church and the appropriate items.
• Muslim rite: burial usually within twenty-four hours, without embalming, ritual washing by people of the same sex and a kafan shroud. In this case we work in agreement with a representative of the community or the mosque and complete everything on the first day.

Hall and wake in a single courtyard

Our district hall holds up to a hundred people, and the same courtyard contains a room for the wake. This is especially convenient when the burial is at Mukhatgverdi: after the long drive the guests return directly to the table, without another journey. If the funeral is in Kakheti, families often take the hall for just one night before setting off. For a short farewell like this there is a half-day rate, provided the hall is vacated before lunch.

Prices in Isani and Samgori

Frequently asked questions